The Operatives Episode 5: Those We Loose
by TrueThought
Summary: In the aftermath of a great personal loss, the Operatives are sent to the planet of New Plympto to persuade the Nousarians to re-enter the Republic. It quickly becomes clear that their mission ill-advised and the Operatives may have to face the prospect of failiure. (Obi-Wan is not in this story, he'll be coming back in a couple of episodes but this part of the story is important.)
1. Prologue

**A.N. **This was an idea I thought of after writing Chapter 1 of this episode. For me it's rather experimental writing, I don't usually write like this. It is, in part, inspired by the Jason Walker song 'This City Never Sleeps', so if you listen to that with this in mind it might create the atmosphere a bit better.

* * *

The Operatives; Episode 5: Those We Loose

Prologue: Rain Across The Stars.

The rain was playing a melody across the roofs of Corescant, one of anticipation.

The rain was playing a melody in the muddy ground, one of anticipation.

As Bail left his apartment he could feel it on his face; he didn't pull up his hood, he wanted to feel this.

The rain was oppressive enough to beat Obi-Wan's face even with his hood up. The clones, under their helmets, couldn't feel it at all.

He met Padme at the Senate building; she was trying to wring out her sodden hair.  
"You're soaked!" he laughed.  
"As are you!" she retorted.  
"Kit's on his way he tells me," Bail said as they walked into the main corridors.  
"Council meeting?" Padme asked.  
"He didn't say," Bail replied, "but then he wouldn't have. I think the Council are getting cagey."

Kit stepped out of the Temple and threw his arms out, a smile of joy crossing his face as the rain came down. Corescant never looked more beautiful than when it was raining.

"Master!" Anakin yelled over the sound of the rain, "The Captain just messaged in; he's waiting for us the other side of the ridge, if we can get there."  
"Good, a challenge," Obi-Wan smiled, "You'd better get everbody mobilized."  
"Should I be worried that we haven't been attacked yet?" Anakin asked, "The locals must have seen us on entry."  
"They're scared of us and relying on a single general most of them have probably never seen," Obi-Wan pointed out, "I wouldn't get too excited but it's good you're thinking about it."  
Anakin nodded and barked out orders, the clones soldiers moving to obey.

Kit rushed down the hall, spraying water everywhere, turning heads as he went. He skidded to a halt at the door that accessed the Senate chamber itself. He stopped there, watching. The security bill had been defeated and two of his friends were, for once, looking proud. As loyalists they rarely got this opportunity and though the whole Senate may not be applauding the Loyalists would feel better for a while and for a while the Republic would last; in some respects at least. Considering the way things had been going lately, it was still a victory.  
"Obi-Wan," he murmured, "I wish you were here to see this."

"Alpha!" Obi-Wan shouted, "How's it looking?"  
"The terrain's rough General but that won't be our problem. The weather is the issue – we can't get reinforcements in for at least two weeks; and that'll just be a short break in the storm." The ARC trooper was obviously worried and a little irritable. Obi-Wan could tell this but there wasn't a lot he could do about it; that was what was bothering him the most.  
"So how blind are we flying on this one?"  
Alpha was grimacing under his helmet, "We can't fly at all, that's the problem, that's why I'm worried."  
Obi-Wan had to smile, "It's not particularly professional to tell your superiors that. What happened to the veneer of cortosis?"  
Alpha shrugged, relaxing just a little, "Whatever it may do to lightsabers General it's not the strongest metal in the world."  
"I'm not sure I want to know how you know that," Obi-Wan muttered, "but I'm not complaining too much."  
He clapped a hand on the clone's shoulder, "You'd better get the airbourne squadrons going; just as long as they're not going to fly too high."  
Alpha nodded and hurried off, smiling in a way no one could see, that no one could fathom, or would ever try to fathom.  
Obi-Wan watched him go, wondering idly when his bantering with Alpha developed into respect from the ARC trooper – even friendship?  
"I have to say," he murmured, his thoughts directed across the stars to his teammates and friends on Corescant, or wherever it was they may be, "I feel rather on my own with this one. I wish you were here with me."


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter One: In which the Chancellor is the only one who does not seem concerned.

"Where did you get this information?" Bail asked. He wasn't entirely concealing his rather disrespectful tone.  
"Is that important?" Palpatine retorted. "The point is we must reverse the situation."  
"If it's true," Kit Fisto muttered.  
"Yes but where did you get it?" Bail repeated, "I haven't had anything like this across my desk."  
"One of my sources," Palpatine replied.  
"Who are they?"  
"Senator Organa," the Chancellor said, letting frustration ease into his tone for the first time during the interview, "I don't ever recall asking you who _your_ sources are."  
"That's because I'm in charge of intelligence," Bail said, "That's my job. With the greatest respect Chancellor, your job is to oversee the running of the Republic and look at the intelligence I send to you, not get it yourself!"  
"Why _are_ we trying to reverse the situation?" Padme put in.  
The other two politicians in the room looked round at her.  
"I'm sorry?" Palpatine asked, rather incredulously.  
Kit put raised his hand, "Actually I'm with Senator Amidala on this; is there actually any reason for getting New Plympto back into the Republic?"  
"One of our worlds, which should owe us loyalty?" Pestage put in from the corner of the room.  
"It's not like they're considering the option of defecting and letting us know as a curtesy," Kit continued, purposefully ignoring Sate Pestage, who he'd never liked, "They've made their decision. Plus we've clearly been spying on them; or did the Nousarian head of government give you that information?"  
"And we're back to my sources," Palpatine groaned.  
"We can't go in like this," Padme said, "We're fighting for the freedom of the galaxy and the principles of the Republic; forcing anyone to remain with us, even in times of war is against those principles. Besides there's not one person in this room who wouldn't admit the Nousarians don't have a legitimate grievance."  
"With respect senator – " Pestage began.  
"She wasn't counting you Pestage," Kit snapped at him.  
"To be frank senator," Palpatine said, "I have my concerns about using the Operatives at all at the moment. But we all know that if we allow New Plympto to secede from the Republic, especially in secret as they have done, it will be disasterous for the morale of the Senate and the Separatists would grow stronger."  
"But New Plympto isn't even represented in the Senate," Padme began, "What is the Senate going to do about – "  
"What concerns do you have about the Operatives?" Mace Windu said, speaking for the first time since the meeting had started.  
Palpatine leant back and stapled the tips of his fingers together, "We have all suffered a major loss in the past few days. My fears are that without Master Kenobi the team is not – well what's the word? – _complete_."  
"The Operatives unit is just as likely to be successful with any other Jedi," Mace Windu said, rather sharply.  
Kit leaned over to Padme, "When did we become a 'unit'?"  
Mace continued, "We will go to New Plympto and attempt to persuade the Nousarians it would be better for them to remain with the Republic – "  
"Mace!" cried the other three.  
"- And in addition I shall go with the team," he finished, "I trust there are no objections to this?"  
"Where do we start?" Kit said, almost glaring at Mace.  
"Pestage," Palpatine said, "It appears we have a mission; you'd better hand out the briefs."  
Bail took his and looked at it rather sullenly, "What are we allowed to offer?"

He took a speeder to the Jedi Temple by himself; the others went straight to the landing bay. No one opposed him on his way to the Halls of Healing, an indication of the respect he was held in by the institution, or at least some of its higher members; a result of Zigoola, Lanteeb and now Jabiim. He stood in the door of the Halls of Healing and let the fine spray of the silver fountains hit his face and was almost able to forget everything. Only for a moment.  
Master Vokara Che didn't keep him waiting long. She looked rather rushed off her feet but still a forced smile of control was on her face.  
"Senator! How can I help you?"  
"Master Che, I don't want to take up too much of your time and I don't have very much of it myself; I just wanted to see Master Damsin for a moment if that's okay."  
Her face dropped which was not what he needed to see, "Senator, I'm sorry but we didn't know you wanted to be told."  
"Told what?" Bail said, feeling his stomach contract violently.  
"Master Damsin joined the Force last week."  
All Bail could see was the lovely, laughing woman he'd met less than a year before on Lanteeb, when Obi-Wan had told him she was going to die very soon and there had been a choke in his voice saying it to someone other than himself for the first time.

They were waiting for him in the conference room of the cruiser and as he entered the pilot left to start the take-off.  
"We've been talking this through," Kit said, "and we don't have any stategy."  
"That does not surprise me," Bail replied, dropping into the vacant chair.  
"We'll make contact with the Nousarian government and take it from there," Mace interjected for what was clearly not the first time.  
"We have to know what we're saying and what we can put on the table now or we may as well turn this ship around," Padme retorted.  
"Senator we have to get New Plympto back into the Republic," Mace snapped back at her, "under no circumstances are we turning this ship around!"  
"Alright," Padme said, a little slowly and a little surprised, "but in that case we really need a strategy."  
"_In that case_?" Mace was practically glaring at her.  
"You know what my objections are, I outlined them in the Chancellor's office," she replied with a cool voice. Bail had never quite understood how Padme was able to keep her composure and speak out against the highest-ranking Jedi Masters but he had to assume it came from longer acquaintance.  
"Master Windu however much we may dislike this mission we _will_ carry it out to the best of our ability," he put in, "and let's try and honour our absent friend by coming out with a good result. It's going to be a couple of days to New Plympto so we have time for rest as well as sorting out a strategy."  
Kit stood up, "Agreed, but I'm going to do some meditation; maybe the answer will come in a vision."  
"I'll join you," Mace said, ignoring the sarcasm in the tone of his colleague's voice and they left together.

"'Our absent friend?'" Padme repeated studying him carefully.  
"Taria's dead," Bail said, by way of explination, "So when Obi-Wan gets back that's going to be the first thing he has to hear."  
"You think he's coming back?"  
It had been two weeks since the news came but this was the first time Bail had answered the question and the first time he'd even considered the answer he now gave.  
"No I don't think he is."  
It physically hurt to say so.

* * *

**A.N.** Yep, sorry everyone - this story starts just two weeks after the end of the Battle of Jabiim (I refer people to wookieepedia if the reference is unknown to you) so sorry, but Obi-Wan isn't going to appear for another two episodes. However please keep reading because the plots are still good (hopefully!) and what is going to happen in this phase of the narrative is important to the overall series! Also R&R! Thank you to all those who have commented - it is great to have feedback!


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: In which crashing is not the biggest problem.

"That's it," the pilot said, pointing out of the viewport at the green orb below them.  
"How long until we land?" Bail asked.  
"About half an hour."  
"I'll warn those in the back," Bail said, pushing away from the back of the pilot's chair he'd been leaning on and leaving the cockpit.  
It had taken four days, at top speed to reach New Plympto and they hadn't made much progress; Mace Windu had been irritable for most of the journey and whatever patience Kit and Padme had was beginning to wear thin. Even Bail was finding it difficult. He had only met Master Windu on a couple of occasions but he was sure something was wrong – something had changed for the Jedi. The problem was that the others were suffering from Obi-Wan's death and the nature of their mission hadn't improved matters.

"We're discussing representation in the Senate," Kit called over to him as he went into the room.  
"For the Nousarians?"  
"Wouldn't be much point otherwise," Kit replied, with a grin.  
"It sounds a bit patronizing though, doesn't it?" Padme pointed out. "We only offer them representation after they join the Seperatists."  
"We have to offer them something," Mace pointed out.  
"_That_ I know," Padme muttered.  
"Okay," Kit said, clearly not at a stage of defeat yet, "what if we told them the Separatists are being led by the Sith?"  
Bail was about to open his mouth to ask if that was a wise move; he remembered how reluctant Obi-Wan had been to give away any information about the Sith, even on Zigoola. Mace's reaction to Kit's suggestion, however, was quicker.  
"Absolutely not!"  
"You think they'll jump at the chance to join the Sith do you?" Kit pointed out.  
"The matter of the Sith is a Jedi matter and it's going to stay that way!" Mace snapped.  
A silence descended on the room.  
"It's not like we can't ask them to keep it confidential-"  
"Kit that's enough!"  
"Why don't we offer neutrality?" Padme interrupted as Kit shot a very angry look at Mace Windu.  
"Neutrality?" Bail repeated.  
"Well, we're agreed that it's rather patronising to offer them representation in the Republic when that's most of the reason they've left," Padme explained, "and either way we're committing the clone army to protecting the planet so why not offer them neutrality? At least it's more polite."  
"We have been tasked with getting New Plympto back into the Republic," Mace said, as if he were fighting to keep his temper.  
"Well this is the best solution to the problem I can see so you might have to go with it," Padme countered, "bearing in mind, of course, that I do this for a living."  
Bail felt the air in the room become almost stifling; he would _never_ have spoken to Mace Windu like this.  
Mace held Padme's glare with one of his own, "We open negotiations with an offer of representation – if that fails we revert to the offer of neutrality."  
Then he swept out of the room.  
"Umm…we have an hour until we land," Bail managed to say into the silence.  
Padme got to her feet, "Bail, don't act like you wouldn't have said exactly the same thing."  
"Well, yes I would," he replied uncertainly, "but maybe not quite like that."  
Padme shook her head, "I'll see you in an hour." Then she left the room as well.

Bail and Kit exchanged a look and then let out the breaths they didn't know they'd been holding. Bail sank into one of the chairs:  
"Kit, tell me honestly, exactly how much of that is due to Haruun Kal?"  
The name meant a lot these days; before few people had heard of it. Now…  
The news that Obi-Wan Kenobi had died in the fighting on the planet Jabiim came shortly after Mace Windu's return from his home planet with the body of his former padawan Depa Billaba. She'd been sent to Haruun Kal to halt the Separatist activity there. Unfortunately it had proved more complicated than that. She'd left a Jedi General – she'd come back in a coma and if she ever woke up she'd find herself facing a charge of crimes against civilization.  
The Republic was now mourning the loss of two great Jedi – suddenly they were much less infallible. The upper circles were speculating what kind of damage Depa Billaba might have done if she had not been stopped.  
Bail Organa, from previous experience, was wondering how Mace Windu was coping, considering he witnessed so much of his former padawan's fall to the Dark Side. And unlike Obi-Wan, the assault had been too much for Master Billaba.  
Kit sat down next to him and passed a hand across his face, "To be honest? Quite a lot."  
He shook his head and looked round at Bail, "This is going to be difficult. I wish Obi-Wan were here. He'd have pulled the plug on this mission before we left Corescant." He started grinning, "I can see him right now, going fifty rounds with Pestage in the Chancellor's office!"  
Bail grinned too, "Like he did when they tried to send us to interfere with that civil war on Pantolomin? The one that only lasted a week? I remember he told Pestage it wouldn't last and the look on the man's face when he was proved right!"  
He looked down at his hands, "He'd never have liked this mission."

The next minute they were both thrown from their seats as the ship rocked violently. as it steadied again they were both on their feet, staggering towards the cockpit as the shaking returned.  
"Isn't it a bit early to be landing?" Bail shouted above the screaming instruments as he almost fell into the cockpit, just managing to keep the note of sarcasm in his voice.  
"Who's shooting at us?" Kit yelled before the pilot could respond to Bail.  
"Planetary defences most likely!" she yelled back.  
"My head-tails it is!" Kit retorted and pointed out of the viewport. Coming up on their right was a Separatist cruiser, fully armed and throwing everything they had at them.  
"Bail! Get Padme and Mace and get yourselves strapped in back there!" Kit shouted as he replaced the co-pilot in his seat. Bail was silently thanking the Force for Kit's skills as a pilot.  
"You need to take us down," he told the pilot.  
"We'll crash – we can't go through the atmosphere at this speed!"  
"The longer we stay up here, the more chance they have to blow us up and trust me when I say that they have no qualms about that!" Kit replied. "Much as I don't like this mission I'd rather like to survive it!"  
Bail staggered into the main room of the ship again as Mace and Padme appeared.  
"Kit says 'strap in'!" Bail told them and they both complied without a word. As he buckled himself in next to Padme, Bail found himself silently praying that there were no, as yet, undiscovered Sith temples on New Plympto because, he was sure, crash-landing on a planet with a Sith presence twice in one decade was not good for the health.

* * *

**A.N.** Next chapter will be up soon! Please review - I do appreciate it!


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: In which the team is forced to reassess the situation.

Bail woke with the smell of burning in his nostrils; burning wires mostly. Even in a slightly addled state he could tell that was bad. He managed to force his eyes open and found he was lying some metres away from the burning wreckage of the Republic cruiser. He reflected that it was probably quite good he wasn't still inside it. After some cautious experimentation he found one shoulder was inflamed but that he had no actually broken bones.  
Looking around for the others he found Padme sitting about three feet away holding a bacta pack to her side but, otherwise, apparently unharmed. Mace Windu was attending to their co-pilot, who had a large gash in his forehead. The pilot was nowhere to be seen; neither was Kit Fisto. Bail levered himself onto his feet and made his way, gingerly, over to Padme.  
"Where's-" he began but she cut him off by pointing up the cliff the ship had apparently slid down after the crash. They could see a figure further up, sitting on the rocks. Bail gave her a nod and started climbing after him, trying to ignore the twinges in his back from the awkward way he was holding his left arm.  
Kit was sitting quite still about halfway up the cliff, staring across the forest below them; he was holding a hand to his head as if he was in pain.  
"What are doing up here?" Bail asked as he came closer. "Bit of a climb isn't it?" When there was no answer he added, "You are all right aren't you?"  
Then he noticed Kit's hands were shaking. There was blood running between his fingers.  
"Kit, what's-?" Bail began but stopped short as Kit let his hand fall away and all of a sudden Bail could see how badly they had crashed. Three of Kit's head-tails had been severed on the left side of his head, leaving only bloody stumps.  
Bail knew very little about Nautolan physiology but he was vaguely aware that their head-tails worked along the same lines as the lekku of Twi'leks which contained memories, memories of emotions. To lose them was psychological blow along the lines of sudden blindness.  
"You know Bail," Kit said, his voice wavering, the most forced smile possible on his face, "I'm starting to think the Nousarians don't want to re-join the Republic."  
Bail couldn't look at him; he turned and made his way back down the cliff. When he reached the group at the bottom he fished around in the medical supplies and extracted a bacta patch. He then returned to where Kit was sitting.  
"Here," he said, holding it out. Kit took it in silence with trembling fingers. Bail wanted to put a hand on his shoulder in a gesture of comfort but felt that this more of a private moment of grief into which he shouldn't intrude. So he went back down to the others.

No one mentioned Kit as he arrived; they went straight on to other matters. It was decided they should try to move as far as possible from the crash-site before darkness fell in case the Separatists came looking for them. Bail was getting the impression that Mace believed the Nousarians had, in fact, been invaded and that the Separatists were now in control of the planet. Even so, they all agreed it would be best to make for the main settlement which, according to the co-pilot, was only a few days walk from their location.  
Their pilot hadn't survived the crash. While they waited for Kit to join them they buried her by the ship with as much ceremony as they could. Once they were finished they packed up what they had of the survival kit for the journey. Kit joined them as they were finishing this; he had removed his out tunic and torn it into strips to bind the stumps with.  
The marching order for that afternoon was established almost subconsciously; Mace Windu strode in front, clearing the way with his lightsaber and seemingly determined to reach the settlement in a few hours. Padme kept pace with the co-pilot, keeping up a conversation, no doubt to keep his mind off the fate of his colleague. That left Bail and Kit to bring up the rear.  
Bail hadn't suffered much in the way of psychological problems after Zigoola, certainly he'd come out of it in better mental shape than Obi-Wan Kenobi. All that he had to deal with now were a few joints that were weaker than they should be, occasional bouts of exhaustion and the fear. He was fully aware that he and Obi-Wan had escaped the planet by a lot of luck – far more than anyone could have expected under such circumstances. He was even more aware that they had both come very close to death on more than one occasion while on the planet's surface.  
Now, the fact that their situation was similar to his own on Zigoola was making an icy cold panic rise in Bail's throat. Every step of the way he had to force himself not to think about the Sith planet, not to think about the consequences if they didn't have the same luck now, as he and Obi-Wan had then. Every step of the way he was fighting the fear.

They hadn't been walking for more than a couple of hours when Kit suddenly crumpled against Bail's side, gripping his arm like a vice. Bail twisted to support his weight, the Jedi's trembling hands inflaming his injured shoulder.  
"You all right?" Padme, further up the path, had turned back, looking towards them in a concerned way.  
"You go on, we'll catch up in a minute," Bail assured her.  
She nodded and turned away, a little reluctantly. Bail lowered Kit onto the ground where they both sat for a while in silence. All of a sudden Kit doubled over, a tear of pain escaping his eye and a silent scream of pain on his face. Bail could only assume the initial shock of the wound had worn off some time ago and that Kit had been fighting the pain until his strength had given out.  
It was another fifteen minutes at least before Kit uncurled; he sat upright on the ground for a while longer, then released his grip on the senator's arm; Bail had almost forgotten it was there. Kit levered himself to his feet and he followed, never taking his eyes off his friend.  
The Nautolan managed a small smile, "Thank you."  
Bail offered his arm again and Kit took it as a prop; slowly they walked after the others.  
Bail had almost become used to Kit's ability to switch between almost deadly seriousness and involvement in the moment and his more light-hearted side – his ability to live for the moment. Seeing him like this, reminded him all too well of the first time he had been confronted with the humanity of Jedi; an image of Obi-Wan, in all his vulnerability, on Zigoola crept back into his head and, shaking his head, he found himself concentrating on the ground ahead of him once more.

* * *

**A.N.** Apologies for the lack of action in this chapter, hopefully you'll think its turning out okay anyway. Also, sorry it's a bit depressing - that's the tone of this episode I'm afraid. Still, it makes for good drama! Please do review!


	5. Chapter 4

**A.N.** Long, long, long hiatus since I last worked on this series of stories. Sorry about that - got distracted with a Justice League fic and then I decided to finish it before coming back to this. Thanks to anyone who is still following this story and, indeed, the series; special thanks to Ranger Do'Urden who, I hope, is still reading the Operatives - thanks for the great messages of support and I promise Obi-Wan will be back in two episodes! In the meantime, flashbacks! There will be one every episode because there were scenes I thought up and wanted to write anyway.

Please review! It really means a lot to get feedback! Chapter 5 is nearly done and should be up soon so watch this space.

* * *

Chapter 4: In which the Nousarians go on the hunt.

They camped for the night at the foot of a bank of earth by the side of the path. Instead of lighting a fire they clustered around a glow-cube, no one daring to speak too loudly. The dark forest pressed in around them, each of the gaps between the trees an abyss from which might come dangerous nightmares. How any of the others slept Bail could not fathom; it seemed only he and Padme remained awake. _Of course_, he reminded himself, _Kit is probably worn out from shock and I don't think the co-pilot is doing much better_.  
Padme and he sat watching the stars for some time before she spoke:  
"Do you really think the Separatists invaded New Plympto?"  
Bail sighed, "It's a possibility."  
She frowned at him in that penetrating way she had, "As a skilled and experience politician, what do your political instincts tell you?"  
"That Mace Windu has something to prove and he's convinced himself there's a still a chance of turning this mission into a success. I suppose we should take comfort from the fact that he's living in hope."  
Padme kicked at the leaves by her feet, "We're still going along with it."  
"Maybe we're holding on to hope as well."  
"A little too much perhaps." She was staring out into the dark, "Obi-Wan wouldn't have let us come here."  
Bail was reminded how, only a few hours earlier, Kit had said almost the same thing.  
He sighed, "Does that mean Obi-Wan didn't hope as much as we do? Or that he saw more than we did?"  
Padme shook her head, "He was more cynical than we are about things, which is a terrible way of saying he didn't _blindly_ hope; which begs the question – should we continue to do so?"  
"I don't have an answer to that one. Our situation means our options are severely limited." He leant back against the bank, "It just needs a bit of thought – I'm sure we'll come up with something."

"_I've seen that look."  
Obi-Wan glanced up at him_, _"Really?"  
"Just now and again," Bail grinned. "What's the problem?"  
Obi-Wan leaned back in the chair he was sitting in, on one wall of the conference room of the Republic cruiser, "Cad Bane."  
"What about him?"  
"I told you about the 'message' (using the term loosely of course) he delivered while you were stuck in the Core?"  
"The cryptic one?"  
"Yeah; it's bugging me."  
Bail shook his head, "I'm beginning to think that you worry too much."  
Obi-Wan laughed, "You're really quick on the uptake Bail, you know that?"  
"Look, we're landing in a couple of minutes – you can puzzle it out later. The others are getting ready and I need your concentration for this one."  
Obi-Wan got up and followed him to the door, "When did your financial intuition desert you exactly?"  
"It's a major trade issue on Nar Shaddaa and the Hutts form one side of the negotiating table. You have no idea how happy I am to say that this is territory in which I have little experience."  
"The problems of being an honest politician," Obi-Wan laughed.  
Bail eyed him, "Seriously Obi-Wan – there's not much you can do about Bane until you figure out what the message meant and you _will_ figure it out; you're a clever man and you've got the rest of us to help."  
Obi-Wan nodded, "You're right – we'll come up with something." He laughed again because Bail was still giving him a cautious look, "I'm not going to brood on it Bail, I promise! Honestly, what could be more engaging than trying to buy off the Hutts without any means of doing so? Not that Chancellor Palpatine asks the impossible of course…"_

Bail's recollection was cut off by Padme shaking him roughly. She was pointing out into the dark; Bail peered in the direction she indicated but couldn't discern anything in particular. He was about to ask her what she'd seen when he saw a green flash – just for a second – light up the forest on a small hill about a hundred yards away. He looked round and caught another flash answering the other. Looking up they could see a series of bright flashes lighting up the canopy of trees above the bank. Despite the fact that no noise accompanied these flashes Mace Windu was awake, helping the co-pilot to his feet. Kit appeared, without any trace of fatigue now, beside him.  
"We're probably surrounded by now," he pointed out.  
Bail nodded. Nousarians had a distinctive appearance, with their horned heads and stocky build, but also an ability to generate light from their bared gums. The number of flashes indicated there was a large number in the forest tonight and it was clear that Kit was right.  
"What do we do?" the Jedi muttered.  
"I say," Bail replied, "that we run first and ask questions later."  
There was a rustling in the bushes in front of them.  
"RUN!" Bail yelled.  
As one the group struck off into the bushes; looking back Bail saw the forest had gone dark. The Nousarians knew the woods – unlike them, they weren't running blind. The rustling noise was all around them though – as the hunting party rushed through the forest after its quarry. Dodging round an oncoming tree Bail threw and arm across his face as a blinding green flash lit up the dark. He stumbled to a halt, blinking his vision back to life. As he did so he could see they really were surrounded now; the Nousarians had stopped them in a clearing and they had formed a circle around the intruders brandishing torches and weapons at them. Bail looked around at the Padme, Kit and Mace Windu, who was supporting the co-pilot, and slowly raised his hands in a gesture of defeat.

They were hustled into a circle of lights and tents, set up under the trees in the deeper parts of the woods, the largest of which had a large crowd of Nousarians outside it. They were ushered in, where an older, more battlescarred, Nousarian sat, wrapped in a long blue cloak. As they entered he stood, and the look of anger in his face was unmistakable.  
"Your ship was found around midday by our scouts. It took them less than a day to track you down – in case you truly believed you were dealing with idiots."  
Mace Windu gave a small bow, "We should introduce ourselves; I am – "  
"I don't want to know who you are," the Nousarian interrupted. "Two of you, at least, are Jedi. As a group you are from the Republic. The Chancellor has a certain kind of bravery to send you here. As to who I am; I am Commander Rootrock of the Nousarians of New Plympto and I should tell you that it will take more than your little band to persuade me to rush into the arms of my enemy."  
"With respect Commander," Padme interjected, "we can assure you we are not your enemies."  
"With no respect whatsoever, madam," Rootrock replied, "you are not my friends."  
He shook his head and stood, "You have a lot of nerve to come here and expect me to be friendly towards you. Every request and plea we have ever made to the Republic has been refused or ignored; now the Separatists have offered us protection and asked nothing in return."  
He nodded back to the opening of the tent, "You will be given somewhere to sleep and I will speak to you further in the morning. You're co-pilot will receive medical attention. You are not my captives so you will not be heavily guarded. Feel free to move about our camp – bear in mind however, that your presence is not welcome."


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: In which the Operatives offer an apology.

"We're not going to be sleeping tonight are we?" Padme muttered. They were gathered round a glow cube in the tent the Nousarians had set aside for them and this was the first thing anyone had said for some time.  
"He's willing to speak to us," Kit pointed out, "so that's a start right?"  
"You don't sound very confidant," Bail commented.  
"It's because I'm not," Kit admitted.  
"I agree with Kit," Mace Windu said, ignoring these last comments, "we still have a chance to sort this out. We just need to agree about what we're putting on the table."  
"Master Windu-"  
"I thought we'd already argued that one out," Bail said, cutting Padme off. "We offer representation and we keep the option of neutrality open if they feel they're being patronised."  
"Considering the Commander has made it quite clear we've insulted him by simply turning up, I'd say we'll have to open with the offer of neutrality," Padme retorted.  
Bail nodded, "To be honest, I'm not sure he's going to take that offer well either; I don't think he's likely to trust a blank offer of neutrality. He'll be expecting the Senate to start making requests of New Plympto later on and that's not a completely ridiculous assumption."  
"So we're left with nothing? Is that what you're saying?" Mace asked.  
"We could tell them that Dooku is a Sith," Kit said, as if stating the obvious.  
Mace's head snapped round as if it was on a spring, "We _have_ argued that one."  
"Since we don't have any other options-" Kit began.  
"The subject of the Sith is not going to be raised!" Mace cut him off, his voice raised almost to the level of a shout.  
"Then we're out of options," Padme said.  
"We'll have to think of something then!" Mace retorted and he was definitely shouting now. "We are not going back to Corescant empty-handed, we are not going to fail in our duty!"  
"Master Windu, can I speak to you outside please?" Bail interrupted curtly, getting up and leaving the tent.

Mace wasn't looking him in the eye as he followed him out, "Is there a problem Senator?"  
"You know, given Kit's condition, I don't think you should shout at him."  
Mace shook his head, "We can't tell anyone about the Sith; you of all people should know why."  
Bail took a breath to try and control his temper:  
"Shall I tell you what I know? I know that Obi-Wan lived in the shadow of the dark presence of Zigoola – he fought memories until the day he died, as any Jedi would going through what he did. I know what happened to your apprentice on Haruun Kal and how she got there. I know what that must have done to you and I know that you're afraid – afraid of failure, that the Jedi can't live up to the ideals that people want them to and I know that's why you're so desperate to come away from this mission with a result; and thanks to Zigoola, I may be the only non-Jedi that does."  
"I'm not sure where this is going Senator."  
"My point is, I understand; but be that as it may, whatever your personal problems may be Master Windu, I'd like it if you kept them out of this mission and let us do the job you asked us to do!"  
Mace Windu was looking at the floor; after a while he looked up at him.  
"I'm assuming I'm right in thinking you wouldn't have said that to Master Yoda?"  
Bail let out a long breath, feeling a little more relaxed.  
"Never in a million years."  
Mace chuckled, "No, I didn't think so."  
He tilted his face towards the sky, "I suppose we've at least proved the Chancellor wrong."  
Bail frowned, "Have we?"  
"I would say the unit can survive without Obi-Wan."  
"Again, when did we become a 'unit'?" Bail muttered.  
"When you became successful," Mace pointed out. "Say what you like but you do a good job; and I was under the impression you all liked being part of the Operatives."  
"We do," Bail murmured, "at least we did. I'm not sure now."  
Mace looked at him, "I think the idea is to do what Obi-Wan did; keep going and hope for good days."

"Padme's got an idea," Kit said as they came back in.  
"Really?" Bail asked. "Are we back on neutrality."  
"No," Padme said, eyeing Mace Windu. "I think we should leave."  
"Leave?"  
"Well we've insulted them already, they've already made their decision to leave the Republic and we have to respect that. The best thing to do would be to apologize and leave – on the assumption they'll give us a ship of course."  
They all looked at each other.  
"In your opinion, as a trained politician, you believe that's our best option?" Mace enquired, in a carefully polite tone.  
Padme nodded. Mace took a breath.  
"Then I believe I agree with you. Apart from anything else Kit needs proper medical attention."  
"I'm fine," Kit argued.  
"Obi-Wan could never make us believe that either," Bail chided him kindly.

Commander Rootrock eyed them with suspicion, "You wish to leave?"  
"We just need a ship of some sort," Kit said – he was wilting a little under the Commander's gaze.  
"Is that all you wish to say to me?"  
Bail managed to hold his gaze, "We have no further need for negotiations, Commander. We would, however, like to offer our deepest apologies for insulting you and your people's right to freedom."  
A look of genuine surprise crossed the Nousarian's face, "I see."  
Then he became serious once more, "I will have a ship ready for you in ten minutes."  
Bail gave a small bow, "Thank you Commander."  
"I think," The Commander said, "that I may have been, partially, hasty in my judgement of you four. Whatever the Republic is, if I were you, I would take comfort in the fact that it has such people to keep it honest."  
_Damning with faint praise all round then_, Kit thought.

They were just clearing the planet's orbit when they saw it.  
"Uh oh," Bail muttered.  
"Oh great," Kit groaned.  
"Did you know about this?" Padme asked, rounding on Mace Windu.  
"No," Mace answered. "The Chancellor didn't see fit to tell me."  
Approaching them from the expanse of space was a Republic Star Destroyer.  
"_Unidentified craft, state your operating number and affiliation_."  
The curt voice coming over the comms channel was that of a clone.  
"This is General Mace Windu of the Galactic Republic Army, requesting docking space on board your ship."  
There was a short silence at the other end.  
"Approach docking bay five sir," the voice instructed. A few seconds later a hologram flickered into life before them; the man in Jedi robes with long, pale hair, bowed to them.  
"Master Windu."  
"Master Jennir," Mace returned, "when did you receive your orders?"  
"Shortly after you left Corescant," the Jedi was looking embarrassed. "I wasn't aware that this was the system you had gone to, sir."  
"I see." Mace gave a little sigh. "If you don't mind, I think I should join you for a while and explain the situation at the very least. If you could have a shuttle made ready to take the Operatives back to Corescant and spare a medic for the trip I would be grateful."  
Dass Jennir bowed and the hologram faded.  
"You'd all better get ready to disembark," Mace said, rather quietly.  
"You don't have to stay," Padme said.  
He shook his head, "No I think I should – try and make some sense out of all this if I can. I hope you don't mind if I leave it to you to report to the Chancellor when you get back?"  
Kit smiled, almost encouragingly, "Don't worry – it'll be fun."  
His smile faded as soon as they were on the shuttle to Corescant.  
"We should've known there would be an army ready – how did we not see that?"  
"I think we were too trusting," Padme said quietly.  
"How are we going to look now?" Kit asked. "It'll look like we pulled out because, while we may fail to bring New Plympto back into the Republic, a full army of clones probably won't!"  
Bail went straight to his cabin and sat down heavily on his bunk.  
_Obi-Wan_, he thought wistfully, _wherever you are now I hope you're having a better time than we are.  
It turns out we're not infallible._

* * *

__**A.N.** Yes, that is where I'm leaving it. Hope you enjoyed it - I'll try and start the next episode soon (going back to the Mandolorians with this one). Please review!


End file.
